The 2023-24 North American ski calendar has careened through a uniquely exciting winter for US Skiing, and with it, the NNF Cup has changed, swung, and thrilled too. The season-long club competition as part of the US SuperTour enters its final weekend at the Duluth CXC Cup starting Thursday, with a margin of just five points separating the Cup’s two previous winners, Alaska Pacific University (2021-22) and University of Utah (2022-23). With a weekend program including a 10 k classic Thursday, before a Classic Sprint, Skate Team Relay, and final 40 k/20 k skate Sunday, the winter-long competition is looking to heat up along with the spring temperatures on the shores of Lake Superior.
The NNF Cup competition began in December at the opening SuperTour races in Anchorage. In that initial weekend, the main players were established. The hosting Alaska Pacific University team showed renewed strength with young talent filling to boost the team to an early lead. Right alongside APU, the defending NNF Cup holders University of Utah showed that they would be challenging throughout the season. Strong performances from the Bozeman, Montana Bridger Ski Foundation and continued success from the Craftsbury Ski Club’s pro women team also established the clubs as being integral features of the SuperTour season, no matter where it would head.
From Alaska, the SuperTour headed to US Nationals over the first week of January for the US Cross Country Ski National Championships. Over the course of that week, APU and UU solidified their hold on the top two spots, and set up a duel for the NNF CUP that would then run the course of the ski calendar through some of its most consequential weeks ever. A quick Eastern SuperTour stop in Craftsbury and Lake Placid preceded a break for the North American World Cups, before the 50th running of American Birkebeiner rounded out a hectic period for ski racers in North America.
Through it all, APU and UU narrowed in on each other, until the NNF Cup standings were left the way they’ve now sat for a SuperTour hiatus of three weeks. Five points separating them, APU – 711 points, and UU – 707, and Duluth set to be the decisive set of races.
With the tight competition, the base of Spirit Mountain this weekend will offer a peek into what the point totals and season-long crunching of numbers behind the NNF Cup actually look like on snow. It’s a team competition, competed for by nordic clubs that have boosted US Skiing to ever-more competitive heights, doing so for the sake of the lessons, trials, and joy of competition. In other words, it’s what makes US Skiing, and the SuperTour special, and special circumstances mean it will be heightened to a final, exciting conclusion in Duluth.
Full Duluth CXC Cup SuperTour Information HERE
NNF Cup Standings Ahead of SuperTour Finals in Duluth, MN
Overall
- Alaska Pacific University – 711 points.
- University of Utah – 707 points.
- Bridger Ski Foundation – 664 points.
Men
- Alaska Pacfic University – 599 points.
- Bridger Ski Foundation – 387 points.
- University of Utah – 362 points.
Women
- Craftsbury Ski Club – 435 points.
- Stratton Mountain School T2 – 359 points.
- University of Utah – 345 points.
The NNF Cup celebrates club excellence in America’s premier domestic ski competition by tallying performance of club teams across the SuperTour season. The NNF Cup was awarded to the University of Utah last season. The winners of the NNF Cup receive a $3000 cash prize, and the honor of the top domestic ski club in US Skiing.
NNF Cup Rules and Regulations can be found here.
Recent Comments